Tachyon aside from the setup of that episode, what didn't you enjoy about it?

...Otherwise it's kinda like Gunther flinging his crap at the Professor...

Comparing this ep to a hypothetical Family Guy ep is valid, as it is an animated comedy that most people here have seen and understand.

I agree with Otis' and Solid Gold's opinions to the extent of what they'd be willing to suffer in order to avoid watching FHS again. At least I'd watch the Gunther thing once.

What didn't I like about FHS? My largest complaint is a holistic one: it's sort of like a case where the problem is not with any particular part, but with the sum of the parts. Except that in this case there are problems with the individual parts, too. Big problems. And as much as it pains my brain to dredge up the searing memories I shall attempt to do so.

The entire episode seems wooden and uninspiring, and I never felt immersed in the story at all. Some of this may be because the voice acting came across as perfunctory overall. Surprisingly, Gore's parts didn't annoy me as usual. He certainly can poke fun at himself.

There have been many marginally funny Bender sight gags over the years. The part in the opening act with him as a nutcracker soldier is not one of them. It's not that the concept is bad, it's that the delivery comes off as bad. It was missing something. Possibly a different set-up from Bender.

Prior to this ep, we've seen that the heavy rolling fireplace blast door was not only strong enough to keep Santa out (once it was fully closed) but strong enough to contain a monumental explosion that propelled him out the top at high velocity. Here the massive door pops open as if it were no more secure than the lid on a tub of margarine.

Santa leads everyone in song, but after killing Scruffy he simply flies off with a "You're welcome" rather than doggedly and enthusiastically pursuing the remaining people to the limits of his cunning and weaponry? What the hell? That is so out of character for him that it gave me a bad taste for the rest of the ep, right there. And what's the supposed connection between Santa and Pine trees? He shot a _harmless_ firework missile that gently exploded into the shape of an X-mas tree? The whole point of Santa's visit was to segway into the pine tree skit but there was no remotely logical connection.

The first over-the-top reference to the germ warfare vault was all right, but the subsequent ones... oh, my brain! They were run completely into the ground, tamped down, and covered with concrete. Were they writing for an audience of second graders? Or stoners? Or what?

The climax of the first segment was OK. Predictable, but not bad. Not spectacular. And the first part was the best part. By a longshot.

Robanukah was... just uninspired. And Bender's angry retorts were so utterly lacking in humour that I honestly found them offensive. I really can't continue to go on in depth, it's just too painful.

And the Kwanzaa part? Perhaps I was just so soured at that point that the Spectacular was beyond redemption for me. Perhaps if I'd seen it in a completely different context it might have come across as a meh but mostly OK ep. Kwanzaabot just bursting in? I understand that running time isn't unlimited and that shortcuts are necessary, but really? The explanatory song-and dance number? It just didn't catch. Initially the beeswax thread was not bad, and Petunia's lines were funny and I smiled as I grimaced in revulsion. It perked up my mood enough that I was looking forward to what cleverness they might have done with a revisit to the Space Bees. Oh. Lord! Beyond the fact that much of the humour in the original encounter had to do with the fact that Bender was translating both ways, the Space Bees segment was just so atrociously bad that I muted the TV at that point. I unmuted it again for a moment because I couldn't bring myself to believe just how bad it was. Then I turned the TV off. On my second viewing I made it to the point where the bees speak, then muted it until the curtain fell and listened to Gore's bit.

There were some positive funny bits that I noticed on the second watching, such as the robot and foot claw stockings hanging above the fireplace. And Santa's modified M2 Browning fed by a string of explosive X-mas light. But there weren't a lot of them.

Really? I thought Robonukah was fantastic. The only part I disliked was the song, which proves funny lyrics alone are not enough if you have no melody or memorable tune. I mean the crew getting smushed into oil was a pretty inspired ending.

Just for clarification, I wasn't making a remark at your initial post Tachyon. It was where the discussion was leading which started to irk me and the discussion was not being based on this particular episode.

I don't know what to think... The Xmas segment was pretty boring, (although I liked the "it's nutso good" line for some reason), but I liked the Robanukah much more than I remember (Other than the terrible song).

But the Kwanzaa segment? Not a single funny line. I couldn't wait for it to finish.

So, after a second viewing, this episode gets a 4/10. The albino humping worm joke was great, a couple of others were alright (I liked the seed guard), and all the others were just flat-out bad...

I watched this yesterday when I got the dvd. I couldn't really believe they would do an episode like this, it was really unlike futurama. They reminded me a lot of the new treehouse of horror episodes..eh I don't know it was definitely under average, but it didn't outrage me. The kwanzaa one was especially stupid.

You know, he seems like a big-ish stereotype on the British, it would of been funny to see him as a King or something in the alternate timeline in ATPH, you know, making him all mighty and rich for once.

I don't feel that this episode was that bad. Sure, it wasn't like the prior Holiday episodes, but honestly, I use different criteria while judging canon vs. non-canon episodes. I feel this episode certainly had its highs and lows.

From the XMAS bit, which was a clear quasi-play on the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, to Robanukah, and finally Kwanzaa, I thought this episode satisfied die-hard fans of the show, but fell a bit short with the casual viewer. I think the continuity of these three previous themes surely appealed towards the die-hard fan (such as myself), but may have confused a casual viewer a bit.

The musicals were surely a bright spot. I always enjoy listening to Katey Sagal sing as she has an exceptional voice (she's also a talented song-writer). Kwanzaa-bot (who I believe is played by Coolio?) is always a welcomed appearance. However, I am really starting to dislike Robot Santa. Perhaps the PE crew should finally work towards eradicating this threat? Eh, maybe I'm taking the Santa comic-relief/satire a bit too seriously. I will admit that I found the Robunkah ending hilarious as the oil lasted for 500 million years instead of four weeks. Lastly, the Kwanzaa/bee-hive bit reminded me of a Simpsons Tree House of Horror, as the seemingly hapless PE crew assists the evil Space Bees but ultimately meets their fate by them. No good deed goes unpunished.

Overall, I gave this episode an 8/10, but I will admit that it's partly because I'm biased (and a die-hard fan of this show). But I feel that given the non-canon nature of this particular episode one has to be a bit more objective while viewing and giving a critical opinion of the episode.

I feel that given the non-canon nature of this particular episode one has to be a bit more objective while viewing and giving a critical opinion of the episode.

Canon or not, if it sucks, it sucks. Reincarnation isn't canon either, but there's a whole world of difference between these two eps. If you want to let it off, then that's up to you. As for me, this ep isn't getting any favours for its non-canon nature...

but it's not that good either. Aside from the non-singing parts of Robunikah, everything is pretty feeble/forgettable. Some good ideas, but lame execution. Fry being Charlie Brown would have been great/heartwarming if pulled off better.

I feel that given the non-canon nature of this particular episode one has to be a bit more objective while viewing and giving a critical opinion of the episode.

Canon or not, if it sucks, it sucks. Reincarnation isn't canon either, but there's a whole world of difference between these two eps. If you want to let it off, then that's up to you. As for me, this ep isn't getting any favours for its non-canon nature...

Still, it was a decently written review with some fair points ...

I hear you. It's not the best episode, but it's good enough. I enjoyed it, and thought it was satisfactory.

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